CSA 2023 Fall Week 6

Green/Yellow Beans
Bok Choy
Grapefruit
Fingerling Sweet Potatoes
Radishes
Roselle
Arugula
Scallions (LPF)
Cucumbers, Pickling (SFO)
Yellow Squash (SFO)

Our roselle bushes are still bursting with calyces! This week we share two recipes to highlight this amazing plant’s versatility; roselle nourishes our bodies with loads of Vitamin C and minerals and nourishes our souls by giving a tangy shot of color to recipes. The curd recipe below is a classic example. If you’re tempted to make it without roselle, take heed. Sure it tastes lovely enough, but the egg yolks and strawberries are gonna give you something that looks a little bit like hummus. Not to knock hummus – we love it, but it’s not exactly beautiful. The roselle is what gives this curd multiple flavor notes and a beautiful Barbie-pink hue.

With flu season upon us, we also share a simple fire cider recipe to keep those sinuses clear and ignite the immune system. Note that this recipe is a “quick” method and needs to be kept in the fridge. After a year, give it a sniff before you sip to make sure it’s still fresh.  Tell us: how are you loving our roselle? Send us your own kitchen magic and photos on IG @frogsongcsa

Roselle Fire Cider

Ingredients:

• 64 ounces apple cider vinegar
• 10 ounces honey
• 2 medium onions
• 2 large garlic bulbs
• 4 ounces fresh ginger or galangal root
• 2 ounces fresh turmeric root
• 5 ounces horseradish root
• 2 large pomegranates – When ripe they are plump, succulent, and garnet in color. Can substitute with 4 ounces of pomegranate juice for 1 pomegranate.
• 2 oranges
• ½ ounce dried whole cayenne peppers
• 1.25 ounce dried roselle, cut and sifted.

Instructions:

 Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne peppers. Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Work in two batches. Blend carefully with the lid on and take care not to let fumes or slurry get in your eyes.

Place the mix into a double boiler.(Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot inside a bigger pot or saucepan) Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the mix and keep the heat on low, with the lid on. Let the mixture heat on low; don’t let it get above 120°F (49°C) for three hours, stirring occasionally. Take care with the fumes – they don’t’ call if fire for nuthin’!

Peel oranges and deseed the pomegranates. Mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.

After a couple of hours, taste the mix. If it’s too mild, add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cooking time, turn off the heat, and add the roselle and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color—if it’s too light, add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red hue, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. You’ll need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will lose a great deal of the medicine. (Don’t use your bare hands to squeeze out the cider or you’ll burn/irritate your skin.) Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved.

Place in sterilized, clear-glass jars, label, and refrigerate. Dosage is 1 teaspoon as needed.

Roselle Hibiscus-Strawberry Curd

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sugar
• 1½ tablespoons dried roselle
• ¾ cup strawberry purée
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 2 teaspoons corn starch, sifted
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes

Instructions:

• Pulse sugar and dried roselle in a food processor until roselle is finely ground.
• Prepare a double broiler, or fit a heat proof bowl over a large pot filled with an inch of simmering water.
• In the heat proof bowl, combine roselle sugar, strawberry purée, eggs, egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest, and corn starch. Whisk to combine.
• With stove on medium-high heat, cook, whisking continuously, until mixture thickens and reaches 170°F on the thermometer, about 4-5 minutes.
• Remove bowl from heat and strain curd through a fine metal strainer to remove any pieces of cooked egg or hibiscus.
• Add butter and whisk to melt and combine.
• Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve with pastry, meringue, or enjoy alone.

Bok Choy in Ginger (or Galangal!) Sauce

Ingredients:

• 6 small bok choys
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup ginger or galangal
• 1/4 cup water

SAUCE

• 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt
• Pinch white pepper

Instructions:

Cutting – Trim the base of the bok choy then separate all the leaves. Leave the delicate baby bok choy in the center intact, it’s precious! Cut giant stems in half lengthwise so they are all roughly the same size. Rinse in colander, shake off excess water (don’t need to dry fully).

Sauce – Stir sauce ingredients except water until cornflour is dissolved. Then stir in water.

Gingery oil – Put the ginger/galangal and oil in a large non-stick pan. Turn onto medium heat. Once the ginger starts sizzling, sauté for 1 minute until it turns light golden and is a bit floppy. Add bok choy then use 2 spatulas to toss the ginger for around 15 seconds to coat.

Steam – Turn heat up to medium, pour water over. Cover with lid and steam for just 45 seconds.

Sauce – Remove lid (bok choy will still be a bit underdone), pour in sauce, toss for 30 seconds until sauce changes from murky to clear, and thickens. Bok choy should be just floppy but still soft crunch, not mushy.

Serve – Pour the bok choy and all the sauce onto a serving plate, then eat!

Summer Squash Gratin – adapted from foodandwine.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-4 scallions white and tender green parts thinly sliced into rounds
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 3 medium yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup finely shredded Gruyère (about 2 ounces)
• 1 cherry tomato, very thinly sliced crosswise

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over moderately high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Spread in a 9-inch round baking dish

On 2 large baking sheets, spread the zucchini and yellow squash and brush with the remaining oil; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese and let sit until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Tightly roll 1 piece of zucchini and set it on the scallions in the center of the dish. Working outward from that center slice, continue rolling and coiling additional pieces of zucchini and yellow squash until you reach the edge of the baking dish. Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper, then tuck in intervals between the zucchini and squash. Scrape any cheese off of the baking sheets and sprinkle on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the zucchini and squash are tender and browned in spots. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool slightly, then serve with crusty bread.